The prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,747,198 issued to the applicant herein on Jun. 8, 2004 that describes a reed and mouthpiece assembly for a woodwind instrument, such as a clarinet or saxophone, wherein the reed is formed with a special configuration having a mating shape defined therein which is engageable with respect to a protruding member or members extending outwardly from the generally planar reed mounting surface of the woodwind mouthpiece. A slot or other aperture is defined in the non-vibrating clamped portion of the reed in order to facilitate alignment thereof during mounting with respect to a generally planar reed mounting area of the woodwind mouthpiece. A uniquely configured mouthpiece having a protruding member in combination with a uniquely shaped reed for engagement therewith provides a self-aligning and self-centering reed which is usable with any type of attachment mechanism including conventional ligatures as well as a unique securing device described herein. The engagement between the protruding member and the unique reed provides for faster and easier alignment during reed installation onto a woodwind mouthpiece despite what type of ligature is used. The prior art also includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,501,010 issued to the applicant herein on Dec. 31, 2002. The invention described therein provides a unique configuration for a reed and mouthpiece for a woodwind instrument wherein the reed is formed with a special configuration having a slot in the non-vibrating clamped portion to facilitate mounting thereof with respect to a uniquely configured mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument such as a clarinet or saxophone. Both patents makes extensive reference to known prior art.
The term “ligature” is commonly defined as something that is used to bind such as a filament (as a thread) used in surgery; something that unites or connects or the action of binding or tying. U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,623 issued to Silverstein et al. on Jul. 15, 1997 asserts that ligatures have been de facto contrivances for securing clarinet and saxophone reeds throughout this century. Two hundred years ago, when the clarinet evolved from the chalumeau, woven cord was used as a ligature on reed instruments. The specialized separate reeds and mouthpiece of the modern clarinet and saxophone must ideally be mated flat surface to flat surface as if they were made of one piece. Such one piece systems occurred in bagpipe and chalumeaux reeds before the arrival of the clarinet and saxophone. In such one piece systems, no ligature was necessary because the reed and mouthpiece were one piece with no flat surfaces needing to be mated under pressure. However, modern convention based upon consistency dictates using separate reeds and mouthpieces. Generally, a mouthpiece will last for years while the reeds warp and wear out in days or weeks.
Ideally, the reed has a precisely planar surface that abuts a precisely planar surface of the mouthpiece.
The installation of a reed in such instruments requires precise relative alignment and positioning of the reed with respect to the mouthpiece as well as the precise relative alignment and positioning of the ligature with respect to the mouthpiece. As indicated above this positioning and alignment is often difficult for the inexperienced or when needed to be done quickly or under inadequate lighting.